Dynamo 3, KC Wizards 4 - postgame notes

The
Houston Dynamo dropped their fourth consecutive game on Wednesday and lost a
game in stoppage time for the fourth time this year, allowing a 96th-minute
goal to the Kansas City Wizards in a wild 4-3 road loss.

The
loss marked the second consecutive game in which the Dynamo let a halftime lead
slip away after they had begun the season 5-0 when leading at halftime. Houston
led 3-1 at halftime on Wednesday before Kansas City scored two fortunate goals
in the second half, then notched the game winner deep into stoppage time. The
Dynamo had been 16-0 all-time in regular season play when holding a two-goal
lead at halftime.

The
loss broke a nine-game Houston unbeaten streak (6-0-3) against the Wizards since
the clubs’ first ever meeting, a 2-1 Kansas City win in 2006. The Wizards are
now unbeaten in their last five MLS games and three points out of a playoff
spot.

Houston
is back in action on Saturday with the second in a stretch of three consecutive
road games, facing D.C. United at RFK Stadium at 6:30 p.m. CT.

The
Dynamo took the lead in just the 13th minute, when Brad Davis chipped a through
ball for Mike Chabala down the left wing, and Chabala served a low cross to the
near post, where Cam Weaver one-timed a shot inside the near post for his
second goal of the season. Chabala’s third assist tied his career high, set
last year, and Davis’ assist was his eighth of the year, tied for sixth in MLS,
and the 60th of his MLS career. It is the fifth time in the last six years
Davis has recorded at least eight assists in MLS play.

Houston
doubled its advantage in the 34th minute when Lovel Palmer won a midfield
header, and Cam Weaver headed the second ball behind the Kansas City back line.Dominic Oduro raced onto the pass and slotted the ball past Jimmy Nielsen with
a right-footed shot to put the Dynamo up 2-0. It was Oduro’s fifth goal of the
year in all competitions.

Kansas
City came right back in the 35th minute when Craig Rocastle found former Dynamo
forward Kei Kamara alone in the penalty area, and he fired a right-footed shot
past Pat Onstad. It was Kamara’s 10th goal of the year and fourth consecutive
game with a goal or assist.

The
Dynamo responded quickly to restore their two-goal advantage, as a Brad Davis
free kick was deflected by Kansas City and tapped into an empty net by Adrian
Serioux. The goal was Serioux’s second of the season; his first came in the
Dynamo’s only road win this year, a 2-0 win at Chivas USA on May 8.

Kansas
City tied the game with a pair of fortuitous goals in the second half. In the
60th minute, Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad lost his footing while taking a goal
kick, and the kick went straight to Kansas City forward Teal Bunbury, who
capitalized on a breakaway to make it 3-1. In the 71st minute, a Ryan Smith
shot that appeared to be headed wide deflected off of Houston’s Adrian Serioux
and went in to tie the match.

The
match had seven minutes of stoppage time due to at least three long breaks for
injury, and Kansas City capitalized in the sixth minute when a long ball by
goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen found right back Michael Harrington overlapping down
the wing, and Harrington served in a cross to substitute forward Josh Wolff,
who angled a header into the net for the winning goal.

Dynamo
defender Bobby Boswell picked up a late yellow card, his fifth of the season,
and will be suspended for Saturday’s match against his former club, D.C.
United, due to yellow card accumulation.

For
Houston, forward Joseph Ngwenya made his 100th career appearance in an MLS
regular season game. Midfielder Corey Ashe made his 14th start of the season, a
career high. Midfielder Geoff Cameron made his 90th career appearance for the
Dynamo in all competitions.

“Individually we were playing well. The two forwards
were linking well. Cam [Weaver] was winning a lot of balls in the air, and Dominic [Oduro] was
running off of it; we were holding the ball well and breaking. In the second
half, they just started launching the ball, and we just couldn’t apply
pressure and hold the ball up when we needed to.”

On playing a team that is in the playoff hunt ...

“It’s a game. The first game of the season is
the same as the 25th game of the season, and there are points on the
line. We knew they were desperate. We still had an outside chance. I know we
don’t now. We also have something to play for. We knew in the second half
they were going to start throwing balls in the box, and we didn’t handle
it as well as we could have.”

On Wizards that impressed him ...

“[Ryan] Smith is a good player. He runs pretty
diagonally quickly; he is a danger guy. We kept him pretty quiet in the first
half. We kept everyone quiet in the first half but just could not sustain the
level of play that we wanted to in the second half, and they got their quick
players on the ball a little more.”

FORWARD CAM WEAVER

On the game ...

“We came out strong; we played well together in the
first half, for most of the first half. We just got our chances and took
them. We didn’t continue that in the second half, and that is
disappointing because in the end, all that effort was for nothing.”

On having a good game individually in a loss ...

“Well it’s not one person having a good game, it’s
the whole team. You can’t point out individuals I don’t think when
you lose. It’s a collective effort. It’s just disappointing."